Entrepreneurial life in the Bay Area: Transactional relationships

Talking with an investor, I recall our first interaction at the conference in which we met: I said ‘Hi’, and asked her how she enjoyed the event. She responded a bit surprised, since most other people that approached her usually said ‘Hi’ and then immediately proceeded with their pitch. ‘It is good that they do that,’ she says, after I shared that story again over coffee at her office building, ‘It is what they should do, but it was refreshing to have a different conversation,’ she says, ‘Entrepreneurs need to understand that context and intention is everything. Funds have mandates and specific focus areas. If the startup does not fall in that scope, their time is better spent speaking to relevant funds. A little bit of research can make all the difference when connecting with VCs.’

While mentioned before, even though the connectivity in the city and the ease with which people network are seen as something positive, there is also another side. Everything is work related, everything is networking, there is no socializing. Many entrepreneurs indicate they miss that. ‘It is all about work,’ people say, ‘it is about what I can do for you, and you for me, Not about let’s just hangout and chill.’ A few times people call it transactional. I talk to someone who recently moved out of the city and only comes back for big events to network. ‘I couldn’t live here. There is no deeper meaning. Everything is work related. Everybody wants something; you are just a means to their end.’ He explains that he had to be…